Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
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Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#2I'd be curious to know whether he's willing to move out of the city ... and whether his prospects of finding a job elsewhere are better.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#3What do you call a 42 year old, with a wife, a toddler and mounting credit card debt who got an English PhD 18 months ago?
Either someone who completely failed to plan ahead, or someone who wanted to knowingly gamble everything to "follow his dream."
Either is fine---just don't ask society to bail you out.
A growing gap between 0 and the top is not inherently a problem---in fact it is necessary in a free market that is progressing. There is no problem here, move on folks. It is an intellectually bankrupt argument. Seriously, this guy is the best they can dig up to advance their agenda?
And the ironic thing is that in trying to promote its egalitarian agenda, the NYT has acidentally provided additional evidence that the government-education axis is fundamentally broken.
We need separation of government and education just as we need separation of government and religion.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#4I'd be curious to know whether he's willing to move out of the city ... and whether his prospects of finding a job elsewhere are better.
There are tons of high-paying jobs in the oil fields in Canada and the northern-middle US.
But many people (not necessarily this guy, I don't know his whole story) would rather bitch and leech off society than go work.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#5It's an unfortunate predicament, and one for which I don't see any particularly simple solutions.
First of all, this is hardly a problem that's exclusive to "liberal arts" PhDs. However, it's probably exacerbated in their case due to the often limited market demand for their skills.
What solution, other than some form of guaranteed job, is viable? Subsidizing PhDs lifetime employment with public funds would be messy and unpopular (although not completely without merit, IMHO).
The second option would be to limit supply. For instance, Universities only admitting as many PhDs as they could possibly absorb (or, providing a guaranteed-employment PhD track for a select few).
This would drastically lower the number of PhD recipients, with uncertain effects on society as a whole. While this might negatively effect our net research output, it might also funnel talented and hard working individuals into potentially productive lines of work. I'm basing this on the assumption that anyone who is capable of completing a PhD (in anything), has the potential to contribute very meaningfully in a variety of other professions or even fields.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#6I'd be curious to know whether he's willing to move out of the city ... and whether his prospects of finding a job elsewhere are better.
There are tons of high-paying jobs in the oil fields in Canada and the northern-middle US. But many people (not necessarily this guy, I don't know his whole story) would rather bitch and leech off society than go work.
There are tons of high-paying jobs for qualified engineers and tradesmen with relevant experience. Let's not pretend a guy with an English PhD can get a well-paying job in Fort McMurray without years of costly retraining.
Even engineers without relevant experience (SAGD or at least site exp) will have a tough time getting O&G industry jobs.
When the industry says "skill shortage" it means that engineers are starting to ask for 1/50th of the CEO's pay, not that they'll actually hire any comers.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#7I'd be curious to know whether he's willing to move out of the city ... and whether his prospects of finding a job elsewhere are better.
There are tons of high-paying jobs in the oil fields in Canada and the northern-middle US. But many people (not necessarily this guy, I don't know his whole story) would rather bitch and leech off society than go work.
I didn't down-vote your comment (or your other comment) but I can see why someone might think it's a bit harsh. I tend to agree with you in at least one respect ... we only need a certain number of English professors and while the complaint is universities and colleges hiring instructors instead of offering tenure track positions, the ability to staff their institutions this way is strictly due to an abundant supply.
My wife followed her dream 25 years later, I'm still supporting the family while the work she does is primary for the benefit of society as a whole. We're not surprised and therefore we're safe so long as I'm employed.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#8It's an unfortunate predicament, and one for which I don't see any particularly simple solutions. First of all, this is hardly a problem that's exclusive to "liberal arts" PhDs. However, it's probably exacerbated in their case due to the often limited market demand for their skills. What solution, other than some form of guaranteed job, is viable? Subsidizing PhDs lifetime employment with public funds would be messy…
"Universities only admitting as many PhDs as they could possibly absorb"
This is an excellent idea, and I've also been a proponent of pushing liberal arts minors in combination with other degrees that provide a much more employability. Neither of these ideas will be embraced because each college department honestly believes their area of focus is the most important topic on earth. Add the desire of the college administrators to build a little kingdom of their own, and you won't even be heard.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#9It's an unfortunate predicament, and one for which I don't see any particularly simple solutions. First of all, this is hardly a problem that's exclusive to "liberal arts" PhDs. However, it's probably exacerbated in their case due to the often limited market demand for their skills. What solution, other than some form of guaranteed job, is viable? Subsidizing PhDs lifetime employment with public funds would be messy…
Another solution would be to allow those interested in PhDs an informed decision as to whether or not to pursue the degree. Major media could make occasional reports on the status of the post-doctoral job market available to all interested parties; those parties could then be allowed to balance personal cost against expected outcome.
Re: Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty
#10Why do they expect that there will be an ivory tower waiting for them? You gain graduate degrees as an addition to your skill set, not because you are guaranteed a job in academia at the end. This seems to be a major misunderstanding among a lot of grad students in the US.